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Building Collapse: Nigeria Recorded 43 Cases In 2019

The fight against building collapse suffered a setback in 2019 as the country recorded not less than 43 incidents within the year.

Figures obtained from the Building Collapse Prevention Guild, an advocacy group of built environment professionals, showed that Lagos had the highest figure with 17 cases, accounting for about 39.53 per cent of the total number of collapsed buildings.

Anambra State had the second highest number with six collapsed buildings while Plateau and Delta states recorded three each.

 Oyo, Enugu, Ondo and Osun states recorded two collapsed buildings each in 2019 while Imo, Kwara Abia, Adamawa and Katsina states each had one building collapse incident.

 According to the figures, 59 per cent of the collapsed buildings in Lagos State in 2019 were existing structures while 41 per cent were under construction; seven of the cases were full collapse and 10 were partial.

 Building collapse, a major problem in Nigeria, has claimed many lives especially in Lagos, which has the largest population of residents in the country.

 Between 2014 and 2019, building collapse had maintained an upward trend, according to experts in the built environment.

 According to industry experts, between April 2018 and April 2019 alone, Lagos State officially recorded over 10 building collapse cases, not taking into account those that were not reported such as the Itamaga, Ikorodu incident, Idumota partial building collapse and another at Shangisha, Magodo, all within the second week of June 2019.

 The BCPG in 2019 revealed that 36,000 potential collapsed buildings were waiting to happen in Lagos alone.

 Although there have been efforts to contain the menace, recent statistics show that the problem of building collapse may be on the increase.

 The President, Nigerian Institute of Building, Mr Kunle Awobodu, said professionals had been wondering if the country was making progress or retrogressing in the fight against building collapse.

“The higher number looks like an indictment on building control agencies, either there is no mechanism for monitoring or the policies have some shortcoming,” he said.

He lamented that construction of buildings had become an all-comers’ affair with many sites left to non-professionals to monitor.

“On every site, there should be a builder to monitor the process. The onus is on the builder to ensure that nothing untoward happens on that site because the recent development is bad for the image of the built environment. But we have many cases where non-professionals are in charge,” Awobodu said.

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He urged the government to put policies in place to ensure prosecution of people found guilty in cases of collapsed building to serve as deterrent to others.

“Allowing people to go free after a crime will create precedence for others. Until recently, no one has been prosecuted. It was through the effort of the BCPG and other stakeholders that the government has been able to secure prosecution of people over Lekki Gardens and Synagogue collapsed buildings,” he added.

Awobodu noted that in commemoration of the Ita-Faaji building collapse in Lagos, where 21 lives were lost and 43 people were left injured, the NIOB had set aside March 15 to sensitise the public to the importance of standard construction.

 The President of BCPG, Mr Akinola George, said the fight against building collapse had been tough as most buildings were not constructed by the people trained to do so.

 George stated that construction professionals had been reduced to onlookers on the building construction and procurement scene.

 According to him, professionals participate in less than 20 per cent of the total volume of construction activities going on in Lagos as the country’s commercial centre.

… loses N3.05tn annually to infrastructure deficit – Group

The Nigeria Construction and Infrastructure Summit Group says the country loses between N2.03tn and N3.05tn annually to infrastructure deficit.

 The group stated that up to three out of every four micro businesses were also lost annually due to the deficit.

The President of the group, Mr Olumuyiwa Ajibola, said the inadequacy of infrastructure in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, had been making life difficult for people.

He said, “Infrastructure is the bedrock of the economy. A well-developed infrastructure is not only essential for attracting foreign investment, it is vital for long-term growth and competitiveness of nations worldwide. Indeed, every aspect of life is facilitated by appropriate infrastructure.

“Robust infrastructure helps to determine progress towards diversification of production, expansion of the economy, capacity to cope with population growth, reduction in poverty and improvement of environmental conditions.”

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“The perennial electricity shortages, housing problems, lack of proper water and sanitation infrastructure are making the living conditions of Nigerians uncomfortable,” he added.

 Ajibola noted that the rapidly increasing population of the country had put additional strain on the already inadequate infrastructure, amid weak economy, low growth, food insecurity and unemployment.

 He said the group had come together based on the belief that there must be an active participation of the private sector to support the government’s efforts towards bridging infrastructure deficit gap.

 “In view of this, some distinguished professionals and key players in the country’s construction and infrastructure sectors have come together with this initiative to organise a broad-based summit, and have approached cognate government ministries, departments and agencies as well as a few private sector stakeholders for partnership. So far, positive responses have been received,” he said.

 He noted that the goal of the summit was to ensure more efficient infrastructure delivery strategies; better value for money through procurement; attract investors from across the globe to participate and achieve increased expansion of the economy, among others.

 Ajibola said, “The summit intends to work with our government and private sector, to secure clients and proponents of infrastructure projects, as well as other stakeholders and industry players who have projects and purpose in tandem with our vision, to realise the summit’s agenda.

 “It is hoped that the summit will deliver policy support documents, strategies, models and funding options from the proceedings of the collaborations at the summit. It will have action points, subject to periodic reviews, creating feedback to guide and track progress.”

 He said the group would have its first seminar and exhibition by the middle of the year.

 A former President, Nigerian Institute of Architects, Mr Tonye Braide, said it had become necessary for the government and private sector to get together and take a decision concerning infrastructural development.

 The President and Chief Executive Officer of Cowry Asset Management Limited, Mr Johnson Chukwu, said funding had been a major problem for infrastructure provision, hence the need for more public-private sector engagement.

Source: Punch

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